A Flicker of Hope
by SnowFalls3
Summary: Emma Swan is 20 and alone. She has no parents and her kid was taken away from her. What does she do, give it all up? Hell no! She wants to search for her parents. A one shot about her first contact with her mother. I hope you like it! A huge thanks to oldmcpiper for being the best beta ever:)


**_Hello everyone! This is a quick one shot about how Emma got that file she carries with her everywhere. With a little twist._**

**_Enjoy!:)_**

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Emma Swan had always been a difficult child. Ever since she got kicked out of her school or her third foster home sent her back to the system, because of her 'impulsive and dangerous behavior'. She never really minded the criticism, she knew she was a tough girl. She had to become one and she had never felt ashamed for it.

Emma stood at the corner of a dark alley, past midnight, in Boston. The streets were deserted, I slightly sensible wind broke the otherwise sinister silence. She didn't even know what she was doing there. 20 years old, without a job, without money. Without her kid.

_No. Stop it right there._

She never allowed herself to think about her kid. Not once. Because if she did, she would've never stopped and it would've consumed her life. But that wouldn't get her son back. Nor would it get her anywhere.

A dark figure suddenly appeared from the other side of the road, crossing it with quick steps.

"Did you get it?" Emma asked impatiently. She knew this was dangerous and she risked much, but she also didn't care.

"Sort of." The man responded. He looked around, as if seeking something invisible, then opened his backpack, and pulled out a file in a hurry. "There. This is all I could find."

Emma grabbed the document and looked inside it right away. It wasn't what she expected. "That's it? No names, no address, nothing? This is nothing!" She yelled, making the other person glance over his back with worry.

"Don't be so loud! That's all there was, I promise. And I could get into a lot of trouble for this! Stealing official documents is illegal!"

"Then why did you do it?" She asked, upset.

"You know why…" He leaned in to kiss her, but she pushed him away gently.

"Yeah, yeah…" It wasn't his fault. The young officer was attractive and good-hearted, but Emma knew he didn't love her. She was only better than nothing. They got to know each other in the foster system, but never became friends. However, ever since he had became a police officer, their relationship had transformed into a 'friends with benefits' kind of thing. He owed her one and now he regretted that she had gotten away with that theft for him years ago. This was far more dangerous.

"You're leaving town, aren't you?" He asked, backing away, yet his tone didn't show any regret for the fact. "I know this was the only thing that was keeping you here."

"Yeah. No. I don't know yet." Emma took the file and slipped it into her bag. "Thanks for this. I owe you one. Or… you don't owe _me_ anymore. See ya." And she turned her back on him and walked away, without the man stopping her. She didn't expect any more. No one really cared about her; it was a miracle she could convince him to steal this file in the first place…

The file. Her file. Her parents' file.

Yet she didn't find anything about them in it. They both were anonymous in the document. Nothing she could start her search with. Emma got to her car and opened it again, thinking that maybe she had overlooked something.

But there was nothing.

_Almost_ nothing. At the bottom of the last page of the file a telephone number was written with a fountain pen. It was hardly legible, but Emma grabbed her cellphone and dialed the number she thought was written there, right away.

She waited.

_Beep. Beep._ Nothing.

Emma almost started to give up hope, when the other side of the line finally answered. "Yes?" A mysterious man's voice asked.

"Uhm, hello….? Who is this? Who am I talking to?"

"…Emma?" His voice was full of surprise.

"Ye-… how do you know my name? Who is this?"

No answer.

"Hey, I want to know if you know something about my parents!" Emma almost shouted out of desperation.

The other side of the line remained silent, but after a few seconds she heard weird noises and another person picked up the line. "Hello?" A soft, warm woman's tone answered, and it made Emma shiver. The line was damaged, she almost couldn't hear a thing the woman said. "Who's this?"

"He-hello…" Emma whispered. Could it really be her? Her mother? Could this be possible?

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you very well…" The static became worse each second and Emma could barely hear the other side of the line.

"Hey! Don't hang up!" She spoke up. "Who are you?"

But she could hardly hear a few syllables before the line disconnected. "Mar….Bla….wh….I…"

Emma sat in her car, petrified. She might've just talked to her mother for the very first time. She wanted to feel angry, to feel the need to curse her parents' asses off for giving her up. But at this very moment all she could feel was warm and fuzzy inside her chest. Happiness spread in her and even if she wanted to stop it, she couldn't. But she didn't even want to. And another thing; hope. Something she thought she'd never feel.

Emma stared at the silent phone and knew she could try to dial the number again, but she also suspected that she couldn't reach the woman again. But she knew it didn't matter; she'd try anyway. She wouldn't stop until she succeeded. And she would.

"I'll find you." She whispered to the phone. "One day. I'll find both of you."

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_**So who do you think the mysterious man was? Any ideas?**_

_**Anyway, thanks so much for reading this! *cough***__**reviews are always appreciated*cough***_


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